Improve your Detailing Business by Offering Matte Services

Posted by Will MacNeilon 02.14.14

This isn’t going to be a blog on how to operate a detailing business, but it will tell you how to step up your game and rise above your competition. You got it, matte finishes is the trade to know to improve your detailing business.

This is the part where you say, “Why? Hardly anyone has a matte vehicle.”

At this current point in time I suppose you could make that argument. But it won’t stand for long. Matte finishes in the form of paint, vinyl (ppf), plasti-dip and other low shine finishes are popping up more and more. When the ball gets rolling, you’re going to want to make sure that you know what you’re doing.

Matte finishes right now have an element of luxury. When you start promoting that you can cater to that luxury clientele, that alone will put you a step up. When you can honestly advertise that you own a specific nitch in the detailing industry, you become an authority figure in your area. So let’s run a couple of scenarios.

The Referral

Let’s say that you live in Santa Monica, CA and you are the only matte finish detailer in the area. Referrals are going to be huge. Imagine when one client or one friend with a matte vehicle calls you up. They’re nervous because they’ve heard that you can’t clean a matte car. Then you come in with your expertise. With the right products and overall knowledge of these finishes, you perform a stellar job. Now your client’s mind is blown and they are left speechless. Don’t worry their voice will return, and when they do, I promise that they will speak loudly of you. The more clients you get, the more potential for referrals to other matte vehicles owners you get. It only takes a few, but look out, matte owners are going to travel to you because of the work you’ve done.

The Business Man

You’re running your business in the best way you know how. Given that you own a nitch in the industry that many people don’t, price the service out accordingly. Products can tend to be a little more expensive, so make sure that you’re covering your bases. Giving the customers the service they expect for the price they’re paying is number 1. Don’t let the customer down. Second, give yourself a margin of profit. When the customers see how the results stack up, you gain another healthy reference and more opportunities for profit.

The Time Saver

Being detailers, we sometimes get caught on certain jobs. Some customer wants a polish so you show up allotting what you expect to be a sufficient amount of time, then boom! The car needs a whole team of detailers to get it done in time. But you’re stuck alone and you run behind schedule. Don’t worry, you don’t get those issues with matte vehicles. Because we don’t yet have the technology to polish matte finishes, we have the basic, wash, prep, and seal the car. You won’t get caught behind schedule and in fact you will be able to detail more cars in a day than you normally would.

The Expert

Being an expert also means that you need to know what to do in any situation. You’re bound to have the client that got his door nicked by a shopping cart at the market and calls you to fix it. Unfortunately, we already covered that we can’t polish. You could expand your business to include touch-up paint. That never really fixes anything and to be honest, it’s risky. If you don’t have the exact paint mixture used on that panel, your touch-up paint is going to stick out like a rattle can car at SEMA.

My suggestion, be an expert. I’ve said this before so what do I mean this time? Know other matte experts in your area and be ready to refer. It’s a great circle of business etiquette. If this customer wants his door fixed, refer him to a great matte certified body shop. If your can trust that body shop, that’s a great way to get his business to you and yours to him. However, if it’s an OEM paint job, it’s always a safe bet to just refer them back to the dealership they bought the car at. This will ensure that they get the paint mixture just right.

Conclusion

Be a student of your craft. Learn all there is about matte paint (start here for many great sources) so you know what to expect and how to answer questions. Make sure that you purchase the right products and mark-up your services accordingly. Finally, know other people you can refer customers to when you reach an issue you can’t solve. Market your detailing business so that you can provide superior service and rise above the rest. Matte finish vehicles is a growing market. It will do you well to stay ahead of the curve.